NB Alnwick

Perhaps we ahould also have a "Roll of Honour" to remember those who once contributed to these great forums but are no longer with us?

Well said! And so glad that we can now endorse mod posts with a greeney!

We have always had ports - quite small ones at that - but recently we also fitted glazed inner doors behind the steel hatch at the front. That lets in a lot more daylight when we are on board without losing any security. Our view is that bus/caravan style windows can be a problem on a boat for many reasons including condensation, security, privacy etc. but as always, it is just a matter of personal preference.

The big change that we have seen over the last 20 years is the development of low energy lighting and appliances. Combined with the development of solar panels as a source of energy it is now possible to run an electric fridge and not worry about leaving the lights on. That said we would still recomend a decent solid fuel stove (we would say that you cannot do better than a Morsø Squirrel) preferably with a back boiler and LPG (Propane) for cooking and heating water.

Most hire companies have adapted their fleets to suit the popular demand for a cruiser or semi-trad stern because as pointed out by @Stroudwater1 in an earlier post, trad sterns aren’t ideal for families and friends to gather round. Willow Wren at Rugby once had some nice trad stern boats but not anymore. The best bet is Union Canal Carriers at Braunston - proper boats, decent staff and a good choice of routes.

It is not right but it is not uncommon - when we bought our boat in 2005, we had the same problem. We believe it happened because the boat was ballasted with concrete blocks under the floor when it was still devoid of furniture. We removed half a tonne of concrete blocks and a washing machine to achieve a satisfactory trim. We didn't use the washing machine because we had a much better one at our house and, when too far from home, we are happy to use the public washing machines or those at marinas that do not drain our batteries. It is amazing how much stuff (extra weight) gets added to a boat once occupied - its not just books, wine and beer. So the solution might be to remove or adjust your ballast!

You don't need to buy a collapsing chair - after travelling a few miles, you can usually haul one out of the cut for free . . .

Very good point! Although the product that I linked doesn’t pretend to be the genuine article but was probably made in the same factory from the same components as the original item. This is what often happens when firms outsource production to the far east in order to cut costs.

With so many younger people taking up boating (some of them even publishing YouTube videos) when they have so little experience or affinity with our canal and narrow boat traditions, there is a danger that the historical ways of traditional boat people may become ignored or are not fully understood. Our canal traditions were born of centuries of experience on working boats and there is much to be learned by studying how things were done. One of these traditions was to remove the stern line and place it ready to hand on the cabin slide - that said, there are historical photographs of boats underway with the stern line hanging from the tiller pin. However, it would never have been left attached to a dolly- whichever practice one chooses. Boating traditions have often been discussed in these forums and it is always useful and interesting to research them - it helps to keep our boating traditions alive . . .

The Albright relays and contactors were always regarded as the 'Rolls-Royce' standard of electrical gear, especially when made in the UK, and prices reflected this but production was gradually outsourced, initially to Lithuania and then to China - the price didn't come down but the Chinese soon started making good copies (as they do!) and these are available from Amazon at a price comparable with clones of the Lucas 33RA. JW Dawn Contactor

Remember that the only reason for having a tunnel lamp is to serve as an indication to boats that may be coming towards you. For over a hundred years a candle or oil lamp was quite sufficient and it was only in the second half of the 20th Century that boatmen started using salvaged road vehicle lamps - even then a low wattage bulb was usually preferred in place of the original. The most important thing is for it to serve its original purpose and not dazzle or blind the steerers of the boats heading towards you.

Absolutely, and although our 24v Alternator is rated at 55 Amps, because of the slow running speed, I doubt if it ever gets anywhere near that. On the other hand, when the two banks of batteries are connected, it is possible that there will be a significant difference between them and this is what burns the Lucas relays.

I am aware of Tony's view that an alternator should charge the domestic bank of batteries first and this makes obvious good sense in most circumstances. The only reason we are keeping our existing set-up is because, although our Kelvin K3 usually starts nicely on full compression from our 24v CAV electric starter with the batteries fully charged, it will significantly drain the batteries- especially in cooler weather or when it hasn’t been run for a while.

Resurrecting this thread for a second time (only 15 years since I started it) - after burning out a few more Lucas relays, I have now installed an Albright SW60 relay instead. So far it appears to do the job without bursting into flames - something that the Lucas relays were prone to do! After more than 20 years of ownership I think I am beginning to understand and appreciate the simplicity of our electrical system. There is nothing at all sophisticated about Alnwick and, as far as I can see, the only function of this relay is to connect both banks of batteries together so that the alternator can charge both when the engine is running. The relay is activated when the alternator starts charging and when the alternator stops charging (usually because the engine has stopped or is running very slowly) it disconnects the domestic batteries from the starter batteries so that the latter maintain their state of charge ready for the next time they are needed.

Back to the original question. We moor in the marina and, so far, have been unimpressed with the Wi-Fi. Cropredy is not the best place to be if you need a decent mobile Internet connection.